The Insanity Of God Analysis

For Liberty University’s Global Focus Week, Kate Yates from Open Doors presented the film The Insanity of God. The film is conveyed as a collection of stories and experiences presented by Nik and Ruth Ripken and based on their book by the same name. It follows their lives as missionaries working in some of the darkest areas of Christian persecution, such as Somalia and communist China, as well as interviews they conducted with Christians living in other areas of persecution, such as the former Soviet Union. The persecuted church as the topic, the film follows the work of Jesus in these countries and touched on themes of how Christians thrive in times of persecution, what Christian persecution means for Christians living in free governments,
I felt that the film inspired growth in my life in two major ways. First, was the question posed by Nik Ripken, “Is Jesus worth it?” The answer is easy in a comfortable environment in political freedom, yet the film’s stories of survival and perseverance in persecution, especially Dmitri’s story, prompted me to ask the question with my life and the lives of my family at steak. The loss of the Ripkens’ son Timothy prompted me to envision the consequences, both bad and good, of a life devoted to mission and ask “Is Jesus Worth it?”. The answer today is yes. Yet it’s not a question to be asked just once, but a daily inquiry of faith and perseverance in the face of what is to come. Secondly, the images of suffering and persecution within the church has motivated me to take Ripken’s challenge to heart: not giving up in freedom what we hold onto in persecution. Living, for the moment, in the boarders of a government with religious freedom, it is my responsibility to share my faith freely with others. This is in conjunction with what the Christians in the film believe: that when we don’t share our faith, we are siding with the persecutors, not the persecuted. The Insanity of God has awakened the power of prayer in my life. I have lived my life with the tendency to view prayer as private and supplemental yet I now view its power as necessary and essential. I am determined to grow in prayer for the persecuted church and to engage with my brothers and sisters around me to continually lift up the church in prayer. I pray for the resiliency of persecuted Christians, not that it would end but that they may continue to glorify God even in the face of